BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Reading is undoubtedly a big part of every child’s life, not only due to the books they come across in the classroom, but also the stories they devour at bedtime

In our digital special we asked Sophie Dahl – author of Madame Badobedah and yet-to-be released The Worst Sleepover in the World – to recommend her top ten children’s books, while Cressida Cowell (right) – famous for her How to Train Your Dragon series – has shared a reading list for children up to the age of 14.

Sophie – mum to Lyra, ten, and Margot, eight, with jazz star husband Jamie Cullum – chooses Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak as her top pick. “Sendak’s classic brilliantly captures how your room can turn into a strange place on your imagination’s watch; how you can be King of the Wild Things, but still be lonely,” says the former model ( l e f t ) and granddaughter of acclaimed children’s author Roald Dahl. “You can sail through days and weeks, yet return home to where someone loves you best of all.”

Meanwhile, Cressida’s top recommendation is The Lorax by Dr Seuss. “It’s joyously anarchic, with an incredibly powerful message about looking after the environment. These words near the end make me cry however often I read them: ‘Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.’”